


Rooftop Hit

by Avallona



Category: Winner (Band)
Genre: 2seung - Freeform, Alternate Universe, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Marketing Leader Seunghoon, Musician Seungyoon, Romance, Self-Discovery, Side SongKim, inspiring each other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-09-27 03:35:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20401024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avallona/pseuds/Avallona
Summary: “So what’s your story” Seunghoon tried to ask casually, without sounding too direct.“I’m a musician,“ Seungyoon replied shortly.Oh no, one of those, Seunghoon thought.Or: Seunghoon mistakenly thinks Seungyoon wants to jump off a high building.





	1. Rooftop Encounter

His fingers started to turn red from the cold. He finished smoking his cigarette, threw it on the ground and stepped on it.

Shit.

The guy wasn’t coming. He’d been waiting for two hours now. In this freezing cold weather, in his thin leather jacket.

He knew that he must look stupid. And he was, otherwise he would have never come here in the first place. But he was desperate and didn’t have any other choice. He should have gotten the man’s phone number. He should have asked for his business card.

In hindsight it was clear that the guy had just tried to get rid of him as quickly and easily as possible, and he in his excitement hadn’t even thought much about it until it had been to late. And now here he was, with his guitar on his back, a bag full of CDs and mixtapes and wearing a leather jacket at minus 2 degrees Celsius.

Music is a terrible thing. No, actually the music industry is a terrible thing. A terrifying thing. Something made for shameless people and those hoping to become some. Not a place for naïve people like him.

He sighed. What should he do now. He didn’t have many places to go.

Slowly, he walked back to the bus station, rubbing his freezing hands against each other, to get a little bit of warmth but they just hurt.

He had spent all that money and time to come here for nothing. This was in a business district, far away from his home. Even though it was afternoon there weren’t many people on the streets yet. Too early to get off work probably. Seungyoon sat down at the bench of the bus stop all alone.

Maybe if he had a real band it would be easier, he thought.

It’s not like he hadn’t tried. It just had never worked out. Sometimes because of musically or personal differences. But sometimes just because of their circumstances and money. Most people couldn’t afford this lifestyle for too long. Or they just grew tired of it. Heck, even he was tired of it.

But for some reason he still couldn’t give up. He could not give up his dream. So he was making music just by himself. On the weekends he sometimes performed either alone or with a band in some bars. The band members were nice and they got along well but they were all older than him and did it as a hobby, besides their regular jobs. Most of them had a family to support. They lived in nice apartments, leading normal lives. Not like him.

The bus came and Seungyoon got on and found a seat in the back. He stared out of the window for a while, ready to sleep, since he would be riding this bus for a long time, when he saw a familiar building around a station he often used to come.

Suddenly he had an idea. He pressed the button and got off the bus.

*

“This is our next project. It’s one of our biggest clients. You all better put all you have into this and come up with some good ideas. We can’t risk to lose this. I expect everyone to give 120%” 

Seunghoon sighed while looking through the printed pages in front if him. This was a big project alright.

A big beverage company, wanting to change their whole marketing appearance for their 65thanniversary. Brand core, slogan, website... everything had to be new.

It was exciting in a way and he knew he should be excited. But he felt the pressure more than anything. This company was big.

Not only was it their biggest client, but also big in the sense that they sold all kinds of products. From beer and whisky etc. to soft drinks, sport drinks... And the company seemed to not know what they want. Something modern and new but still keeping their traditional image at heart... This wouldn’t be easy.

“Seunghoon-ssi, any comments?”

He looked up to find his boss and everyone at the meeting table looking at him. Shit, he hadn’t listened, did his boss add anything there at the end?

“Not at all, I can’t wait to start on this,” Seunghoon said with his brightest business-smile.

“That’s great to hear. We expect a lot from you.”

Great...

Not that he wasn’t going to give his best. He never did half-hearted things, much less when it came to work. He liked his job. Liked to create ideas, concepts, to do market research (or let other people do it for him to be more specific), he liked to think outside the box. But just right now, with this project, no idea came to him at all.

It’s not like he always had a good idea from the start. Typically it took a lot of research and brain-storming to come up with one. But usually he had an image in his mind or just a feeling of a direction. This time there was nothing. No image. No feeling. Just the paper hand-out in his hands.

Seunghoon sighed again. This was going to be some hard weeks.

  
After the meeting ended and everyone else had left, Lisa from the market research department came over to him.

“’I can’t wait to start on this’,” she mocked him playfully. “Such bullshit. Or do you actually have any ideas already?”

“Nope, not a single one,” he admitted honestly. “And no time to think about this right now. I still need to finish the ‘Anyone Can’ project for that gaming company.”

“Oh I thought you were almost done with that?”

“Yeah, just the last finishing touches. I had some additional ideas the other day.”

“Well then it must be really good,” Lisa said with a smile, this time meaning it.

“You know me, I’m not one to brag, but yeah I’m quite happy with this one.” Seunghoon smiled back with a wink.

“Show-off,” Lisa laughed. Then she added, “Anyways, I’m sure we’ll see each other around a lot for this one. I gotta start on it right away. It’s already giving me a headache... so yeah, see you soon!”

And with a wave of her hand she left the meeting room.

Seunghoon also went back to his own office.

Though he was still young he had already been promoted to marketing strategy leader of a small team. He had won some creative and advertising prizes in college and successfully gotten his company a few new clients with his ideas.

People in the office often called him “idea bank”. He didn’t mind the nickname but it did come with a certain pressure.  
He did have many ideas but usually he couldn’t force them. Being creative 24/7 just didn’t work. Of course his agency knew that too. That’s why their working hours were not as strict but more flexible. As long as they managed their workload and finish their projects on time they were allowed to leave earlier sometimes to go home and rest or go somewhere else to look for new inspirations.

Seunghoon decided that he was just going to finish the other project for an hour and then go home today. Nothing would come from just sitting around in his office anyways.

When he left it was still early and bright outside. Even though it was the end of February already, it was still very cold. It had started to get a bit warmer two weeks ago but now another cold weather wave had hit Seoul. Despite the weather he decided to walk around the bustling business district with its many sky scrapers.

He usually commuted by car but he wondered if he should just leave the car in the office garage for the day and walk a little bit and then take a bus.

He took a deep breath and sucked in the cold air.  
The air wasn’t even so bad today.  
Seunghoon looked up at the sky. The sun was going to set soon but the sky was still a light blue and clear. No clouds could be seen.  
It looked so empty up there. So different from the bustling streets down here, grey and crowded with people in black and white suits and dresses.

He closed his eyes a little bit to clear his head, not caring that he was standing in the middle of the sidewalk and that people had to walk around him, giving him annoyed looks.

Still facing upwards, he slowly exhaled, opened his eyes and was about to continue his walk when something caught his attention from the corner of his eyes. On the rooftop of the building in front of him stood a person, dangerously close to the edge, looking down.

Immediate panic overcame Seunghoon and sweat broke out from his forehead.

He knew what this meant.

The person was going to jump.

*

Seungyoon was holding on to the rope behind him tightly.

Funny, that such a dangerous place would be secured only with a thin rope, he thought.

He looked down onto the people below on the streets. They looked so tiny. So small. So insignificant. Just like himself.

The air up here was better too. Not quite as polluted as down on the streets. But today was a clear day without clouds and the air was overall better than on most days.

_Baby you are my air~_

He sang softly. A new melody and idea had just popped up into his head.

He hummed a little bit.

Sometimes when he felt down he came to this place to calm down and get his head free. When he wanted to escape the noise and the people and the world in general. Up here he felt calm, he felt safe. He didn’t feel small anymore. He liked watching the people from way up here even though it gave him a tingly feeling, being up so high without any security. But it was part of the thrill.

He most certainly didn’t want to fall, he didn’t want to die. But knowing his own limits or his own mortality was somehow comforting.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Very very carefully he loosened the grip on the rope with his right hand, but still holding on with his left hand. He raised his right arm up to his side so that it formed a straight line from his shoulder. It felt almost like he was flying. He breathed in and out slowly, regularly, his eyes still closed. The faint sound of the traffic down below, only mixed with the swoosh of the wind.

Suddenly he heard the rooftop door open with a bang and a voice calling “Hey!”, disturbing his calm composure and meditation.

Seungyoon looked back, very confused that someone else had come here too. He saw a young man in a blue suit and a black coat, panting and slightly sweating like he had just run here. The man had very long legs and perfectly styled black hair. If not for his outfit, Seungyoon would have wondered if he was a model.

"Do you know what time it is?“, the man asked loudly, still out of breath and staring at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter of my first longer fanfic is up!  
This will be a more slowly unfolding, down to earth kind of story with little twists. It's about following your dreams and how people who randomly come into your life can change you or have an unexpected impact. 
> 
> The story will be told from both, Seunghoon's and Seungyoon's POV, though not all scenes are told from both. Whenever there is a * between the paragraphs it means there is a jump in time or in POV or both. (I hope this doesn't get too confusing for you but I think it should be easy to follow)
> 
> As always I would really appreciate any comments or feedback, suggestions, impressions etc. ^^  
thank you for reading <3


	2. Do you want to stay the night

“Hey! Do you know what time it is?“ Seunghoon heard himself shout.

He was out of breath and sweating even in this cold weather.

He didn’t really know how he got up here on the rooftop.  
It seemed like his brain malfunctioned and without thinking his body just took him here.

A normal person would have called the police or hospital, or any other emergency number. A normal person would have maybe shouted “STOP! DON’T JUMP“ or something along the lines, and not “Do you know what time it is?“.

He didn’t even know why he asked the question but it was the first thing that came to his mind.

Seunghoon thought that maybe telling a person to stop what they’re doing would trigger a stubborn defense mechanism in them and they would even more so do it. He knew he himself usually reacted like that. That’s why asking something completely unrelated and simple to distract them was a better option. Maybe.  
Though of course Seunghoon had no idea. The two elective courses he had taken in psychology back in college had not prepared him how to deal with a suicidal person trying to jump from a 15 storey building.

Only now could he focus on what kind of person it was.

It was a young guy, probably in his mid-twenties, wearing a thin black leather jacket and black jeans, holding on to the rope behind him with only one hand and looking at him.  
Looking at him confused and startled.

He looked skinny and frozen. He probably didn’t even want to end his life, Seunghoon thought, maybe it was just so tough on him that he didn’t see any other way right now.

The boy still just looked at him with big, questioning eyes without answering. Seunghoon had to improvise. Fortunately, that was his specialty.

“I... I lost my watch the other day. And I just wanted to know the time because... winter is almost over... the days are getting longer and brighter again... so I wanted to watch the sunset from up here.“ Good start, he thought to himself. Hopefully the guy would get his metaphors full of hope and warmth.

“Do you know what time the sun sets today?“, he asked the boy.

The boy still stared at him but his eyes seemed less alarmed and he actually spoke.

“No, I’m sorry. I don’t know what time the sunset is.“

“Oh I see. I thought maybe you’re here to watch it too? Then we could watch it together?“

The guy in the leather jacket didn’t answer. He turned away from Seunghoon again and looked down to the street.

Seunghoon got ready to do the sprint of his lifetime to run to the guy and stop him but to his surprise the boy took the safety rope in both of his hands and stepped over it, returning to the safe area of the rooftop again.

Sighing, he said “Sorry but I’m not here to watch the sunset.“

He went to some big bags on the ground and got them on his shoulder.

“I should be going“, he said.

Seunghoon was scared to just let him walk away like this, maybe he would try something else, but he didn’t know what else to say or do. Luckily, just then he saw something in the West that caught his eye.

“Look!“ He pointed with his index finger. “It’s already begun. A pretty sunset on a clear day.“

And when Seungyoon turned around, really, the sun was slowly starting to set over the horizon, giving off some orange rays and turning the sky pink and red.

Seunghoon watched as the boys eyes grew big in astonishment. It was hard to find such a view in Seoul.

They just stood there and watched for a while.

Nobody said a word, only the sound of the wind and the traffic down on the streets could be heard.

When the sun actually disappeared behind the far horizon, hidden by buildings and hills, it was as if they snatched back to reality from a trance.

Seunghoon eyed the other guy. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts. Somehow he reminded Seunghoon of a lost puppy.

He knew that it would be better to get him professional help. A suicide attempt was a serious matter. He wasn’t the right person to handle this. But he didn’t know how to approach the topic and he was scared that if he brought it up, the boy would be running away from him or try something stupid again, so he thought of a way how he could stay with him for a while or maybe even get him to talk about his problems. 

“I’m cold”, Seunghoon said. “And hungry.”

He waited for the others reaction but got nothing.

“I really want to get something hot and spicy now but I hate eating alone. Do you maybe want to join me?”

The boy looked up and into his eyes with surprise but also suspicion.

“Ah sorry, I’m not some weirdo or anything. I’m Lee Seunghoon”, he held out a hand and smiled.

After just eyeing him for a few seconds the other shook it shortly and carefully. “Kang Seungyoon.”

His hand was very rough and felt like ice.

“Seems like you could need some hot food too.” Seunghoon chuckled and saw how Seungyoon looked down to his feet, a bit embarrassed maybe.

“Let’s get some hot jiggae," he offered. "I’ll pay.” 

At this the boys face lit up a bit. It was settled.

*

They went to a local restaurant Seunghoon knew in the neighborhood. Run by an old married couple who served great homemade food. Nothing too fancy but usually weren’t many customers there around this time of day and they had some privacy to talk.

Seunghoon noticed how the younger boy was carrying a big bag and a guitar case. He wondered what was inside them but didn’t ask about it. For now.

The two young men sat down and drank their tea in silence. The hot liquid felt very nice and immediately warmed them up.

“So what’s your story” Seunghoon tried to ask casually, without sounding too direct. 

“I’m a musician,“ Seungyoon replied shortly.

Oh no, one of those, Seunghoon thought.

“I see,“ he said. “Why were you up there?“

“I was just… looking for something.“Seungyoon didn’t meet his eye.

Uhu. Sure he was.

Seunghoon’s gaze lingered on the younger boy who was still shyly avoiding his eyes.

He was so skinny. He probably wasn’t eating properly. Maybe another way of self-harm? Or just him being a penniless musician and not being able to pay for food? He was really pale as well. Such white skin. Probably didn’t go out much into the sun. But his lips were really full and red, such a bright contrast to his skin color.

Pretty, Seunghoon thought.

And immediately wanted to punch himself for that. This wasn’t the time. 

*

Their food arrived.

Seungyoon had ordered kimchi jiggae and it looked delicious.

“Thank you for the food” he said quickly and politely before digging in.

Maybe it was because he had spent so much time out in the cold today, or because it had been a terrible day but the hot, spicy and salty stew tasted like the most heavenly food he had ever tried.

How long had it been since he’d had a hearty meal like this?

He noticed Seunghoon looking at him.

“Good?” the older simply asked.

“Yeah, really good.”

“I’m glad” Seunghoon smiled a little and put his attention back to his doenjang jiggae.

It was an awkward situation, Seungyoon found.

He was embarrassed that Seunghoon had seen him that way on the rooftop. There was no way he could tell him that he was just trying to relax and that he liked the feeling of superiority when looking down on the street, and that he got good musical inspiration from it. He would sound really pathetic or just like a crazy person.

“So what do you do?” He asked to break the silence and cleared his throat.

Seunghoon looked up at him.

It was the first time he had dried to make any sort of conversation tonight, but Seungyoon thought he should make the best out of the awkward atmosphere. It didn’t seem like the two would have many things in common but a little small talk couldn’t hurt.

“I work in a marketing agency. We do marketing projects for all kinds of small and big companies. Marketing strategies, online marketing, branding and so on, the whole package.”

"Oh that sounds... Cool."

“It’s ok. A job. Sometimes it gets stressful but I can’t complain too much,” came the answer.

Seungyoon didn't really know how to respond to that. He had never had a proper job in his life, only part-time jobs. Seunghoon's job sounded important and so... real.

He took a piece of kimchi between his silver chopsticks. How would it feel like to live such a life?

*

Seunghoon watched the boy stare at his food, as if he was trailing off with his thoughts. He seemed quite young to him, a college kid maybe.

“How old are you?“

“I’m a 94-liner…“ Seungyoon mumbled, finally taking a bite of the kimchi and munching on it.

“Oh, I thought you might be even younger. You look young.”

“I don’t!” the other said and pressed his lips hard together to a pout. 

Cute, Seunghoon thought. Apparently he didn’t like being called young.

“Hey, others would see it as a compliment.” Seunghoon shrugged. “I’m a 92-liner. You can call me hyung if you like.”

“I thought you were even older”, Seungyoon said a bit surprised.

Seunghoon chuckled. “Now that’s not the polite thing to say is it?”

“Sorry, I was just surprised. Maybe it’s the suit and all that”

“You’re right, the suit does make me look older. Maybe I should get a new one. But then again I look really gorgeous and powerful in this suit right?” A cocky smile.

Seungyoon huffed and crossed his arms, but a smile showed on his face. “Whatever you say old man.”

“Just eat your food, will ya.“

But Seunghoon was very happy with his result in trying to cheer the younger up.

Soon both finished their bowls. Seunghoon noticed how Seungyoon did not leave even a single grain of rice.

“Thanks for the meal” Seungyoon said. “But I should be going home now. It’s been a long day.”

He was about to get up and take his bags. Seunghoon slightly panicked again.

“Do you live with anyone?” He quickly asked.

“No I live alone.”

This wasn’t good. Seunghoon was no expert but he didn’t think a suicidal person should be alone at night.

“What about your friends or family? Anyone you could stay with tonight?”

Seungyoon looked at him questioningly. “No, my family lives in Busan and ….”  
He didn’t finish his sentence. Maybe he didn’t have many friends.

“Where do you live?” Seunghoon tried to sound casual and friendly and not interrogative or urgent.

“Mangwon-dong”

“That’s on the other side of the city.”

“Yeah, that’s why I should be going now, otherwise I’ll miss the last bus.”

“How about you stay with me tonight?”

Silence.

Ok, maybe that came out wrong.

But before Seunghoon could correct his mistake, Seungyoon raised his eyebrows.

“Are you trying to hit on me?”

“Nonono, it’s not like that. I was just thinking that maybe you’d rather not be all alone today.”

Dang, he really got his impression all wrong. Though Seunghoon could see why he would think something like that. He just wasn’t sure how else to say it apart from ‘Hey, I’m scared that you will try to kill yourself again when I let you go home alone, so I’d feel more comfortable if you slept on my couch or in someone else’s house.’

“It’s been a long day but I’m used to it? I don’t need company, I’m fine by myself,” Seungyoon declared firmly.

“Then let me at least drive you home”

“It’s fine, I can take the bus.”

Why was this guy so stubborn??

“Look, my car is really not far from here and it will be so much faster and cheaper than the bus. See it as a thank you, for keeping me company during dinner. I promise you I’m not trying anything weird and you’re free to either beat me up or jump out of the car if you feel like I’m kidnapping you.”

Seungyoon seemed to think about it for a few seconds, while he checked the time on his phone.

“How about beating you up, throwing your body out and stealing your car?” He finally asked.

“There’s always that option too,” Seunghoon laughed. “So let’s go?”

The boy hesitated for a moment but then took his bags and looked at Seunghoon with furrowed brows and pouty lips. “I’m warning you. I’m stronger than I look like!”

Seunghoon seriously doubted that but kept his mouth shut.

*

They didn’t speak much during the drive, only listened to the radio shows and music. It didn’t take very long until they arrived at Seungyoon’s neighborhood The car stopped close to his house and both of them got out.

“Thank you Seunghoon-ssi,” Seungyoon bowed politely.

“I told you to just call me hyung.”

“Thank you…. Hyung.”

He felt a bit embarrassed. Strangers being so nice to him was new. Even more so if they didn’t have any agenda. He still couldn’t figure out this Seunghoon guy. Maybe he was just trying to hit on him after all. Maybe he had a kink for fucked-up looking rocker guys. He wouldn’t be the first one. Seungyoon didn’t mind too much for now though. At least he had been polite and friendly to him and bought him food. And he didn’t seem creepy or dangerous. For some reason Seungyoon didn’t have any bad feelings about him.

“Seungyoon-ah.”

“Hm?”

“This is my card.”

Seunghoon gave him a white business card with black letters.  
‘Lee Seunghoon. Marketing Strategy Leader.’  
Important guy huh.

“Call me or text me anytime. No matter if you need something or are feeling down or just want to talk. I will help you no matter what. You can always talk to me ok? I’ll listen. To anything.”

Seungyoon looked up from the card.

Seunghoon was gazing intensely at him and it took him aback. He couldn’t quite figure out the look in his eyes. It was different from just wanting to fuck him, that gaze he knew very well. It looked more like... concern? For him? But why? Had he looked so lost and helpless tonight? Had his desperation shown so much on his face?

“I... ok... thanks...” He wasn’t sure how to respond but he put the card into his wallet. “I’ll go inside now. See you around maybe. Thanks again for dinner. And for the lift.”

“Anytime.”

Seungyoon walked away from the car and to his apartment. He pressed the number code and went inside.

Everything was dark. And cold. The way he had left it.

He dropped his bags and let himself fall into his bed. It had been a strenuous day and his body was tired but his mind was wide awake.

He closed his eyes, picturing the view from the rooftop again. Trying to remember that feeling of freedom he had felt there. He remembered that there was something he had to do. A melody.

He opened his eyes and tried to remember the melody that came to his mind on the rooftop. What was it? The view. The wind. Air.

_Air air~~_

He got up to get his guitar and laptop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second chapter is up! I wanted to make this one a little longer but then it would have gotten too long and the end just seemed to be fine right there, so I'm posting this now and hope I can update with the next chapter soon :)


	3. Uneasiness

The next morning, the alarm started beeping loudly as always. Seunghoon groaned. He didn't want to open his eyes. It felt like he was waking up from a bad dream but he couldn't remember what. The picture of a man on the edge of a rooftop came to his mind. Seunghoon hissed and jumped out of bed. He took a shower and made himself some coffee and breakfast.

He usually got up early. Rushing and being stressed wasn't his way of doing things, he liked to take his time, eat his breakfast in peace, maybe even read a little bit in the newspaper. 

On the way to his workplace the image of a sad-looking pouty young man came up again. He wondered if Seungyoon was fine. He didn't have his number so there was no way he could call and check on him. But maybe it was better this way. After all they were still strangers. And he had given the boy his contact. No call probably meant all was well. Or so Seunghoon tried to convince himself.

However, by the end of the day he was still strangely uneasy and anxious for no reason.

Maybe he’d overworked himself lately. It had been a long time since he had taken a proper holiday. He wasn’t a workaholic and he tried to separate his private and professional life as much as he could. He never even checked his company email account on the weekend and people knew he took his private time serious. But he’d had one project after another lately. He didn’t even go out as much as he used to anymore. Maybe he was getting old after all.

Seunghoon decided he needed to do something tonight. He needed a drink. And he knew exactly who to call for company.

*

The bar was not too big nor too fancy. On the weekends it could get quite crowded here but since it was a weekday only a handful of people were sitting at the tables and counter.

Seunghoon sat down at a table in the corner and ordered a martini, which was quickly served to him. He took a few sips and let his mind wander while waiting.

"Hey what's up." A young man in a flashy outfit and short brown hair that had yellow patches suddenly appeared and sat down on the seat opposite of him. "You look like shit"

"Thanks Mino. You always know how to cheer me up." 

He and Mino had been friends since college. Despite them having different majors and Seunghoon being a year older they had taken a few classes together. Seunghoon couldn’t even remember anymore how they’d become friends but they had spent a lot of time together, constantly being up to mischief. They probably knew more about each other than either were comfortable with and they both knew they would catch a bullet for the other, though neither of them would ever in their lives admit it. ‘Best friend’ is what some people called it. ‘Annoying friend’ is what they called it.

Mino got the waiter’s attention and ordered a whiskey on the rocks.

"Sorry hyung, but you know I don't sugarcoat things. And seeing you drink alone is rare. You stressed with work or what? Maybe you should get laid. When was the last time you got some?"

Seunghoon skilfully ignored the last part. "Let’s just say it was a very long day yesterday."

"Huh", Mino just grunted. He knew better than to press his hyung for the details so he simply asked, "Wanna talk about it?"

Seunghoon hesitated.

He wasn’t sure if it was his place to talk about it. But the encounter from yesterday was still bugging him, so he needed to discuss it with someone. And he knew Mino wasn’t one to go around and gossip, the man could keep secrets better than anyone.

“I might have saved someone’s life yesterday.”

The whiskey came and Mino took a sip.

“So you’re going all hero now?” he joked. “How?”

“He was about to jump from a rooftop. I stopped him.”

“Wow. You know why he did it? Did you go to the police?” Mino sounded intrigued.

“Who knows, he didn’t want to talk about it. Maybe it’s something serious and he needs professional help but maybe it’s just that his girlfriend broke up with him or his CD flopped. He’s a musician. You know how those are.”

“Music huh,” Mino mumbled. “Maybe he wasn’t being serious about jumping.”

“Maybe. But it looked fucking serious to me. Standing there at the very edge of that over 15 storey building…” The memories of the rooftop flashed before his eyes. “Gave me a heart attack. And you should have seen his face, he looked so… sad.”

“Huh. The great Lee Seunghoon getting soft and worried over some stranger looking sad. Never thought I’d see that,” Mino said with raised eyebrows. “Maybe you’re getting old hyung.”

Seunghoon wanted to punch Mino’s cheeky grin but stopped himself and took another sip from his drink.

“Was he handsome?” Mino tried to ask casually.

The sudden question caught Seunghoon off guard and he almost choked on his martini.

“Who?”

“The guy you saved from jumping.”

Seunghoon got up from his seat. “This conversation is over.”

“Oh, so I guess he was?” Mino’s grin grew even bigger.

Seunghoon gave him a deadly stare “I knew I couldn’t talk to you about serious stuff. Why did I even try…”

He raised his hand as a signal for the waiter.

“I was just joking hyung, since it’s rare to see you concerned.” Mino laughed and playfully hit his shoulder, “Was trying to cheer you up but seems like I didn’t do well.”

Seunghoon kept his hand raised and ordered the bill. “I should still be going. We have a new project and it seems intense and tiring.”

“Good luck with that. I’m working on a new project too, but I haven’t quite found the right approach yet. I have a vague idea, but so far nothing has worked out. Maybe I need a new muse...”

Seunghoon looked at Mino sipping his drink and being in thoughts. He was a fashion designer with his own label. The label wasn’t huge or super famous but it was slowly getting known in the fashion industry and among it-people. For his young age Mino was doing ridiculously well. Even Seunghoon had to admit that his talent was no joke, though he sometimes really couldn’t understand Mino’s creations.

The bill came and Seunghoon paid for both of their drinks. “Thanks for coming over I guess. Do you need a lift home?”

But Mino wasn’t looking at him. His eyes were on a man in his early twenties in an expensive-looking suit who was sitting by himself at the opposite side of the room. “No, I think I’ll stay a bit longer.”

Typical Mino.

“Playboy,” Seunghoon mumbled loud enough for Mino to hear.

But his friend only smiled while keeping his gaze on the man across the room. “Who knows, maybe he’s my muse.”

“Good luck then. See you next time”

“Bye hyung”

Seunghoon went to the exit of the bar. From the corners of his eyes he could see Mino drink up his whiskey, getting up and strolling to tonight’s object of desire.

As he left the bar and got into the taxi home Seunghoon really hoped Mino would get dumped one day. He’d really need that. 

*

A week passed without any bigger events.

Seunghoon worked hard on the project from the beverage company. The company’s name was "Moonite" and so far the ideas tried to play with moonlight or night approaches. Some were not so bad but nothing quite satisfied Seunghoon. He knew it wasn't quite it yet. He was reading another catch copy from a member of his team. 

"Shining your way, since 1954" 

Seunghoon snorted. Laughable. Who wrote that, maybe he should go scold them. 

He had spent a lot of time and lots of coffee on it but hadn't progressed very much. It was fine though, he tried telling himself. You couldn't always force creativity. There were other aspects they could work on for now. 

When Seunghoon came home later that night, however, he was exhausted. He let himself drop down on the couch. Slow progress was always more tiring for him than fast progress. He preferred stress and having lots and lots of things to do over endless pondering and being stuck, not moving forwards.

He should get up, take a shower and get changed but he was just too tired this moment. Suddenly his pocket started vibrating. He took out his phone. A phone call from an unknown number. This happened sometimes but he never liked it.

“I swear if this is about work I’m gonna get really angry,” he mumbled and picked up the phone.

“Hello, this is Lee Seunghoon.”

Silence.

Was this a prank?

“Hello?” He tried one more time and almost hung up already when he heard a small and very desperate sounding voice.

“Hyung… help me”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually supposed to be part of the second chapter but I couldn't quite finish it last time, so I'm posting it as a short in-between chapter, that hopefully gives more insight into Seunghoon's life :)
> 
> Sorry if the story build-up is very slow, I just sometimes prefer stories, where the characters only slowly fall for each other after getting to know the other person and where we can understand their growing feelings better.
> 
> I promise the next update will be a longer, more exciting one and will come soon!! T_T


	4. Ice and Water

After his naive grand failure in meeting the representative of a music label and meeting Seunghoon on the rooftop, Seungyoon had spent his days busy composing music and working his part-time job. During the day he was working in a café as barista and waiter, and sometimes during the evening he could play guitar music there. At those times he usually tried to play covers of songs the people would know, but he always slipped in a few of his own songs in between as well. 

The owner of the café was still young himself and treated him very well. When Seungyoon arrived there this morning for his shift he got greeted with a dazzling smile and a “Good morning Seungyoon-ah”. 

“Good morning Jinwoo-hyung!”

He could never get used to the handsome face, the big sparkling eyes and pretty smile. Jinwoo was probably the best-looking man he’d ever met. His striking beauty and bright personality was probably one of the reasons they had many regulars and that the café was doing well. Whenever Seungyoon was working his shift alone or with another part-timer the faces of customers fell a little when they entered and couldn’t see Jinwoo. Seungyoon couldn’t blame them, he’d probably feel like that too. 

“Did you sleep well last night?”

Sometimes Jinwoo was almost like a mum to him, or like his real older brother. Always kind, always concerned about him and his well-being.

“Not really. Too much in my head and it was so cold yesterday.”

“It was seriously cold last night. Did you not turn on the heater?”

“Not much… It’s a waste of money and energy.”

Jinwoo’s face turned into a slightly worried expression.

“I know you’re trying to safe up but be careful Seungyoon-ah. Your health comes first.”

“I know.”

“It’s really cold today too. Promise me you’ll turn on the heater tonight, ok?”

“Ok hyung…”

“Good boy,” Jinwoo chuckled and patted his back. “Now could you please refill the coffee beans?”

“Sure sure,” Seungyoon went to the back room to get more beans.

They had 2 different kinds of coffee beans (one lighter and one stronger taste) plus one seasonal kind. Jinwoo liked to have seasonal drinks and events. The café was doing so well only because of Jinwoo's ideas, management and promotion. He knew the latest trends, knew what people looked for, what they enjoyed or found interesting. It wasn't just his beautiful face that made customers come back so often.

Jinwoo had a very good eye for detail and quality and you could feel that not only in the drinks and snacks they sold but in the whole atmosphere of the café. That’s why most customers also didn’t mind if the drinks were a tiny bit pricier than in some other places.

Jinwoo also tried to change things up enough without destroying the original charm of the place, like with the seasonal drinks, the music nights and other events. Moreover, he gave space to young upcoming artists to exhibit their works in the café. Every month he had new paintings or photographs on the wall, next to small signs with the artists’ names. If the artists wanted, they could also sell them to interested customers. Jinwoo handled the sale without charging any commission. For him it was enough to have a nice display in his cafe.

Jinwoo couldn't draw at all and he didn't know much about art. But he had a good eye for things that were unique. And ears. Because the same thing applied for music.

When Seungyoon made new songs he sometimes let Jinwoo listen to them first and waited for his feedback. If he said the song was good, then it usually was close to being done. If he said something was still missing or needed change then Seungyoon needed to work on it some more. Jinwoo didn't know any of the fancy technical words in the field or how to make music himself. He wasn't interested in singing either, even though Seungyoon had heard him sing drunk at karaoke before and his voice was as beautiful as his face. But Jinwoo's feedback was very valuable, he had a good feeling for what worked and what didn't.

A customer entered. Jinwoo greeted him with his usual cheerful voice and took his order.

“One Iced Americano,” Jinwoo said to Seungyoon, who was beside him at the counter and started making the drink.

Iced Americano in that cold weather... why were some people such masochists?

While Seungyoon was working the espresso machine he noticed the customer looking at him. No, staring at him. He was a good-looking guy in his early 30s maybe. Nicely dressed too. So what was his problem?

Customers usually only had eyes for Jinwoo. Seungyoon started feeling uncomfortable, but he finished preparing the drink and handed it to the young man with his usual smile. “One Americano.”

The guy took the drink and went to a table in the corner of the café without saying another word.

Seungyoon followed him with his eyes but the next customers already came in and he went back to the espresso machine, waiting for the next order.

*

When it got dark outside and the little lights changed the atmosphere in the café, Seungyoon got ready for his regular gig.

He stepped onto the small platform that served as a tiny stage, sat down on the round chair and started adjusting the standing mic.

Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays were usually music night in the cafe. On Saturdays Yoon didn't work and played somewhere else, some bars or pubs, often with the band. 

Tonight was a Thursday and there weren't many people. Most customers didn’t come to the cafe for him or his music anyways. Even though it seemed that many appreciated the soft acoustic guitar and his voice, it was more like background music to them and only few people turned their whole attention on him. Seungyoon didn't mind. As long as he could play his music and people enjoyed it and the atmosphere, he didn't mind not having all eyes on him. 

"Good evening", he started. "I'm Kang Seungyoon, your singer for tonight and I hope I can make you feel a little warm on this cold evening"

He started off with his own rendition of Golden Slumbers, the Beetles song. 

_"... And I will sing a lullaby._

_Once there was a way to get back home~"_

A handful of people clapped, one person whistled. 

In the corner behind the counter he saw Jinwoo clap his hands euphorically and giving him the most encouraging smile and nod. He looked so proud of Seungyoon. He always did when Seungyoon sang. 

"Thank you. The next song is one that I wrote myself. It's called 'Color Ring'“

*

Seungyoon put away the chair and the microphone, putting them back into the backroom. Jinwoo was doing the last bits of accountings for the day. 

"Great show tonight, as always" he said to Seungyoon with a warm smile. 

"Thanks hyung"

He had played his 90 minute long setlist, customers had come and gone, a few had clapped, one had even bought his CD that he usually put on display while he was performing. Jinwoo's idea. 

He sold about one CD per week. Not really something he could live off. In fact, he didn't make any profit with it, the production of the CDs had cost so much already, despite not being the best quality. Being self-produced was hard.

Seungyoon finished wiping the last tables. 

"Alright, let's close up and go home" Jinwoo said with a cheerful voice. This hyung seemed to never get tired. 

"My apartment is currently so crowded. My sister arrived yesterday and she is staying for a few days to attend job interviews. She isn't the cleanliest person but at least she takes care of Rey and Bei." 

His cats. Jinwoo loved his cats very much. On some days he would leave early to feed his cats while Seungyoon closed up the café alone. 

"Do you need a lift home?"

"No it's fine thanks. The buses are still running, it's not that late yet," Seungyoon replied.

“Are you sure?“

“Yes.“

“Ok, then I’ll see you tomorrow. I might take my sister to her interview so if I’m not in the cafe in the morning you can just open the shop by yourself.“

“Ok hyung, no problem.“

“Good night, get some good rest“

Jinwoo waved at him happily as he walked away to his car. Seungyoon waved back and the turned around to go to the bus stop. He knew that Jinwoo trusted him a lot and he really appreciated it.

As he waited for the bus he noticed how cold it was. Fortunately, he was wearing his thick parka today.  
It was already the end of February, why was it still so cold? Would spring ever come? It was hard to imagine in this weather. 

The bus came and he hopped on.  
The ride only took 20 minutes. It wasn’t even 12 pm when he got off but still there were hardly any people around. He lived in a quiet neighborhood without fancy bars or cafes. Not many big shops either.

He walked the familiar path home. Up a small hill that always got him slightly out of breath when he was wearing his guitar on his back. Why was Seoul so hilly. And why was he such a weakling, maybe he should work out more.

He arrived back at his basement apartment, pressed the number code and was finally inside.

Not that it made that much of a temperature difference. He hadn’t turned on the heating the past few days, mostly spending his days outside and only coming home to sleep.

When he put down his guitar and took a few steps into the messy room he could sense something was off.

There was a faint gurgling noise and somehow the room felt even colder and darker than usual. He turned on the lights and looked around.

He froze right on the spot.

Water. And ice. Everywhere.

From his kitchen side something like a tiny fountain was visible.

The pipes.

The old pipes along his kitchen wall had burst. They were half-frozen and leaking water. The water had spread through the room and turned most things into either ice or a wet mess.

Seungyoon’s eyes widened in fear as he ran over to his desk that was right next to his small kitchen cabinet.

His notes! His notebook! And his macbook!! His songs and lyrics! The lose papers on his desk were drenched and far from readable. He took his notebook with the black leather cover. Fortunately, the cover seemed to have held off most of the water. He quickly put it in his bag.

Then he saw his laptop. It had been open and he was sure some water had trickled inside. He couldn’t remember anymore if he had shut it down or not last night. He really hoped he did. But he knew better than to turn it on straight away. If some water had really gotten inside, he first needed to dry it. Seungyoon ran to get a towel, wiped off the laptop, then wrapped the towel over the keyboard part. Very carefully he placed the macbook into its cover and then put it in his bag to his other things.

This was his whole possession. Everything was saved on the hard drive. He prayed that it wasn’t broken.

For a few minutes he just stood there lost, looking around, shaking. The pile of clothes on the floor was covered with a thin layer of ice. The clothes he had worn this week, his favourites.

He went into the tiny bathroom and turned on the hot water on the sink. Nothing. He quickly turned it off again, scared that the water damage would get worse. 

Why? Why did this have to happen? Why did this have to happen to him? How much would the repair cost? And how long would it take?

Hot tears sprung to his eyes but Seungyoon tried his best to not cry. He had to stay calm, to control himself. Panicking was not going to help. But what to do? What to fucking do??????? And just why did this have to happen?????? 

He screamed and stamped his foot. He felt so angry. Angry about his own helplessness. The songs he had written this week…. He hadn’t put them into his notebook yet, they had been rough drafts. 

So cold, so dark.

The water was still leaking from the wall. The room didn’t feel familiar anymore. There was no warmth, no welcoming feeling. It didn’t feel like home at all.

He should call the plumber or his landlord or…. But it was already so late and he was exhausted.

He took out his phone, found the landlord's number and called. It rang a few times, but no one picked up. Seungyoon gave up. He just wanted to take a hot bath and sleep. He wanted out of here.

He needed to call someone else for help. But who?

Jinwoo came to his mind first. But he knew that his hyung usually went to sleep early and what’s more his sister was staying over at his place and had a job interview tomorrow. This wasn’t a good time for him to bother them.

He thought about his band mates but most of them had a family and needed to get up early for work. He thought about the one band member who didn’t have a family and didn’t live too far from him but he remembered him currently being on a trip in Japan.

His mum still lived back in Busan, and so did most of his high school and college friends... if only he was still there with his former band...

A pain shot through his heart and Seungyoon felt even more depressed and lonely. He had to use every bit of willpower in his body to not cry out of frustration.

There was no one he could think about.

No one else he was close enough to call right now.

No one to help him.

_“I will help you no matter what.”_

Suddenly he remembered those words being said to him. Who was that and when?

A face appeared in his memory. A face with worried eyes.

Oh right. That guy from last week. The guy from the rooftop. Seunghoon. They had only spent one evening together; they didn’t even know each other.

But Seunghoon had been so nice to him. He still didn’t know why. It didn’t matter though. At least not right now. That guy had promised to help him and he indeed needed some help right now. Seunghoon had seemed like a mature and rational person, someone who had his life together. Surely he would know what to do now.

Seungyoon pulled out his wallet from his pockets and looked for the business card. He had thrown it in there together with other business cards he had received over the years. He never thought he would actually use it.

There it was. Lee Seunghoon. Marketing strategy leader. A phone number.

Seungyoon hesitated.

Was this really alright? It was already late and they weren’t friends or anything after all. But for some reason this was actually a consoling thought to him. If Seunghoon got angry or straight up refused to help him, at least he wouldn’t be too disappointed.

He looked around the messed up room again and his heart dropped. No, he couldn’t stay here like this.

He took a deep breath and called the number with his phone. It rang two times, then a voice picked up.

“Hello, this is Lee Seunghoon”

Oh fuck, what was he going to say? He hadn’t thought about that.

“Hello?”

“Hyung!” Seungyoon said quickly because he didn’t know what else to say. “Help me.”

*

Seunghoon drove fast. He didn't care if he got a ticket right now.

_"Hyung, help me"_

The voice echoed through his head. 

His pulse had jumped to a hundred when he heard those words.

_"S...Seungyoon? What's wrong? Are you ok? Where are you?", too many questions all came out at once._

_"I... I'm at home... but I can't stay here. Something happened.... and... I don't know what to to. I didn't know who to call. And then I remembered your business card... I'm sorry... I know it's late..."_

_Seunghoon listened intensely, trying to figure out what was wrong and if the young musician was in danger._

_"It's ok, I told you, you can call me anytime. No matter what it is, I'll listen"_

_"I just didn't know what to do..." the voice on the other side repeated quietly_

_"Seungyoon what happened? Are you ok?" Seunghoon asked again very slowly._

_"Water. so much water.. and ice.... My apartment... I don't know what to do... it's so cold..."_

_Water? Was he trying to drown himself? Seunghoon panicked at the thought._

_"Seungyoon-ah listen to me. You need to calm down, ok? Take a deep breath. Stay away from the water. And try to stay warm. I will drive to you now, it won't take long, I promise!"_

_"Ok...."_

He hadn't been able to find out more. He prayed that the boy was safe. Good thing he still remembered the way to Seungyoon’s apartment from last time when he drove him home.

He arrived at the small place and parked right in front of it. He ran to the building and saw Seungyoon sitting there, hugging his knees. His expression looked like he had just lost his country. Seunghoon quickly scanned him to see if he was injured. He looked pale but otherwise fine. 

"Seungyoon! Are you ok? What are you doing out here in the cold?" 

The boy looked up to him. 

"It doesn't make any difference if I’m inside or outside..."

"What happened? Are you hurt?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine"

He looked back to his door. "It's just all my stuff... my house..." 

Seunghoon still didn't really know what's going on but he felt relieved that Seungyoon wasn't hurt. 

"Can I... go inside and have a look?"

Seungyoon just gestured to his door as a way to say go ahead.

Seunghoon slowly stepped towards the door. It was slightly left open. He pushed it open and went inside. It was dark and cold. And a huge mess. Things were lying around everywhere.

Only that's when he noticed the water. A leak. The old pipes had probably not coped with the temperatures these days. It seemed like they had frozen and exploded. Now they were still half-frozen but leaking. Ice and water everywhere, exactly as Seungyoon had said. 

Seunghoon sighed. This was pretty bad but he had expected way worse when he got the call. 

Seungyoon appeared behind him. 

"What do you think?"

"It's bad but nothing that can't be fixed. Let me make a quick phone call. Everything is going to be ok."

He tried to smile and sound as reassuring as possible. Seungyoon just nodded. 

Seungyoon waited for Seunghoon to finish his call. When the older came back outside he said "Ok, grab your most important things and let's go!" 

Seungyoon just looked at him without any emotions. 

"Go? Where?"

"I'm taking you to my place for now. It's obviously impossible for you to stay here. You can stay with me for a few days until everything is fixed."

"Can they fix it?"

"I just called an emergency plumber. They said they will come and have a look. Stop the water leak for now and then update us again about your options. You should probably talk to your landlord tomorrow too. About the situation and the cost and everything.”

Seungyoon visible gulped at the word ‘cost’.

“Don’t worry for now. All that can wait until tomorrow. Right now we just need to make sure the leak gets fixed so the damage doesn’t get worse. But we don’t need to stay for that. Just tell me the door code and I will pass it on to them and we head straight to my place to get you in a warm bath.”

Seungyoon thought for a moment. He was exhausted. He just wanted to fall into a warm bed and sleep forever.

“If it’s possible then I prefer we don’t wait here.... I’m a bit tired...”

“Sure, that’s fine. Then just tell me the door code. You can change it again later. And make sure to take all your valuables with you.”

“I don’t have any valuables.”

A simple answer.

“Then just get some clothes. I’m sure you have some others than the pile on the floor? If not then that’s fine too, I can lend you some.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

Seungyoon suddenly stared at him. There was no suspicion in his tired eyes, just curiosity.

Seunghoon shrugged. “Because you asked me for help, didn’t you? And that’s what I’m going to do.”

The musician seemed to accept that. He told Seunghoon his door code and went inside to grab a few clothes, while the older was doing another phone call with the plumber.

Ten minutes later they sat back in the car, with Seungyoon’s guitar case and a small backpack full of stuff.

“Let’s go?” Seunghoon asked.

Seungyoon nodded and so they drove to Seunghoon’s apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Seungyoon... can you imagine his pout? But Seunghoon to the rescue!!
> 
> And yes I'm writing a winter story in the middle of summer, don't ask my why...
> 
> Also, thank you all for your comments, they really keep me motivated<3


End file.
